Porsche attends the Los Angeles Motor Show with an extraordinary world premiere: the new Porsche 911 Dakar, a car that is as comfortable off-road as it is on the road. This exclusive model, produced in a limited run of only 2,500 units, not only testifies to the endless potential of the Porsche 911, but also commemorates Porsche’s first overall victory in the 1984 Paris-Dakar rally.
The first striking detail of the Porsche 911 Dakar is its ground clearance, which is 50 mm higher than that of a 911 Carrera with sports suspension. In addition, the chassis lift system, available as standard, raises the front and rear sections of the car by a further 30 mm. Ground clearance and bump angle rival those of conventional SUVs. The lift system is not only designed for overcoming obstacles at low speed, but becomes an integral part of the recalibrated suspension. Completing the car’s sporty off-road characteristics are the Pirelli Scorpion All Terrain Plus tyres developed especially for this model (245/45 ZR 19 at the front and 295/40 ZR 20 at the rear). The tread pattern is 9 mm deep; the reinforced sidewalls and treads are made up of two carcass plies. All this makes the Porsche 911 Dakar’s tyres particularly suitable for even the most demanding surfaces, as well as extremely cut-resistant.
Other characteristic elements of the 911 Dakar are the newly developed lightweight fixed spoiler made of CFRP and the CFRP front boot lid with striking air intakes, taken from the 911 GT3. There is no shortage of typical off-road details, such as red aluminium tow hooks front and rear, oversized wheel arches and sills, and stainless steel protection elements on the front, rear and side sills. The redesigned front end features stainless steel grilles that shield the side air intakes from stray stones. On the roof of the Porsche 911 Dakar is a 12-volt power socket for the headlamps of the optional roof rack. The latter, with a capacity of 42 kilograms, can easily hold rally equipment such as fuel and water canisters, folding shovels and traction boards. A roof tent is also available for the 911 Dakar. In the passenger compartment, the 911 Dakar expresses its sporty ambitions through the standard full-size seats and the absence of rear seats. Lightweight windows and a lightweight battery further lower the weight of the Porsche 911 Dakar to just 1,605 kg, just 10 kg more than the 911 Carrera 4 GTS with PDK gearbox.
